Tales
by Clewilan
Summary: She loves the way conditional became present and future tenses when she met him.


_Tangled is owned by Disney. This text was written with the theme set gamma from the 1sentence community on livejournal, however English is not my native tongue, neither for my awesome beta, so my apologizes for eventual mistakes._

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01 - Ring

" I guess I'm not allowed to steal it ? " - when Pascal brings his head down to his feet, Eugene quickly adds, sounding offended, that it was just a joke, really, why can't they trust him ?

02 - Hero

Her mother - _the Queen ! _- tells him he's a hero; he wants to deny it, but there's something in Rapunzel's eyes that asks - _orders ?_ - him to keep quiet.

03 - Memory

He remembers quite well the day the princess was taken: like everyone at the orphanage, he had to observe a minute's silence - and he felt sorry for the baby, really ! - but when he wondered if now the King and Queen would come here to chose another child, his minute was prolonged to a day.

04 - Box

She can't explain the great expectation in his eyes as he gives her a little velvet box: she thanks him, because the ring is very pretty, and puts it on her forefinger - Eugene's attempt of proposal fails for the first time.

05 - Run

She genuinely asks if an adventurer's life involves as running as they did today; his first reaction is a tired "No, look, we just swam", then they realized what happened - they may be soaked but they're _alive_, and laughs burst in the air.

06 - Hurricane

She song about the summer breeze - it's going to take her a day to understand that Eugene is in fact a hurricane.

07 - Wings

He knows he's not riding Maximus - and never was, that horse has proven for a while he had his own way - but for the second they jump from the castle, he feel like they're flying; he smiles - _Rapunzel have to try it_ - but remembers where they are, why they're running, and forgets the rest.

08 - Cold

The only moment he complains about her taking off her shoes every time she can is when they go to bed, because her feet are _so_ cold.

09 - Red

There's blood, blood everywhere, and she panics; this was not supposed to happen, she knows she has something to do but she doesn't know what; her moth- the woman she thought she was her mother keeps on forcing her, her dress the same color as Eugene's jacket now stained with blood, and then, Rapunzel rises.

10 - Drink

" I want to try ! " she says, delighted, and for a second he wonders if that witch who warned her about every monster in the big bad world had taught her the difference between grape juice and wine - minutes later she's in his arms and he finds out that he doesn't really mind.

11 - Midnight

She once read a story about a girl who goes to a ball and dance with the prince all night thanks to her fairy godmother, but the magic ends at midnight; it sounds awfully familiar as the boat runs aground softly, Eugene jumping out, saying he wouldn't be long, to walk away in the fading lights of the remaining lanterns.

12 - Temptation

_Don't look, don't look, don't look_, he's telling himself; either that girl only miscalculated the angle either she's an evil mastermind and precisely put his nose inches apart for her breast.

13 - View

When sometimes he disappears without a word, coming back an hour later saying he was enjoying the view, she doesn't ask anything: he has lived on his own for a while and old habits die hard.

14 - Music

She seems hypnotized by instruments she has only seen in books, what can he do, apart from following her, pretending to ignore her contagious euphoria ?

15 - Silk

He's not used to pretty, shiny and soft fabric - he has always worn practical clothes, not evening outfits - but they soon find out silk dresses are still dresses and thus can be removed as easily when needed.

16 - Cover

Most of the pages are dog-eared and annotated - some details added to _The Tales of Flynnegan Rider_, written by a small hand - the golden letters on the cover are now almost invisible, but the book shines forth life and joy as he starts his reading.

17 - Promise

" And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise ", she assures, not mentioning the only one she made before was to not get out of here, which she is precisely about to do.

18 - Dream

" You get to go find a new dream " - they both have an idea about what said dream could be, but saying it aloud would be awkward.

19 - Candle

He lights the lanterns and the happiness she resonates is worth everything.

20 - Talent

"You know, spending years locked in a tower with only an oven and some paints helps you practice - well, it's basically the only thing you can do !" - but she smiles because thinking of those years is not harmful anymore.

21 - Silence

The stairs are too narrow to let them go down side by side, they keep silent, but she looks for his arms, a sob escaping her lips, when they pass by Gothel's clothes - he holds her tight.

22 - Journey

They've been traveling for years now, however every time she's asked what journey she preferred, she answers _the first one_: Eugene imperceptibly smiles and the questioner is often taken aback.

23 - Fire

He marvels about the excuse given by the need of wood for the fire as he … takes a moment to collect his thoughts - okay, he's maybe running away, for it's just for a minute and her hair not only glows but _hell_ it heals, too, so he _deserves_ a pause before another magical demonstration.

24 - Strength

" It's gonna be alright ", he swears: she smiles and lets go of his hand (she squeezed it all the way to the balcony) just in time to turn back and face her parents with a little more confidence.

25 - Mask

The water is rising slowly but they perfectly know they'll soon be submerged: people tend to react strangely to foreseeable death and he's no exception, so he bursts out his real name in a weird need to take off the mask and resurrect Eugene Fitzherbet just before the end, or maybe because that girl doesn't deserve a lie.

26 - Ice

" What do you want me to do with these ? ", she asks, doubtful, when he holds out ice skates to her.

27 - Fall

However, Rapunzel learns fast and she's not the one that falls the most, unfortunately for Eugene's ego.

28 - Forgotten

It's only when she shows him his satchel that he realizes he had utterly forgotten about it.

29 - Dance

He doesn't believe that much in conspiracy but the music and dance stopping exactly when she's finally in his arms is a little bit _strange_.

30 - Body

She wants his body in her arms, not his _corpse_, she keeps on chanting as it could really do something, but she's useless now.

31 - Sacred

Her lifting the royal lantern with her parents is now a tradition in the kingdom, but no one ever noticed they borrow a boat to light their own on the water every year.

32 - Farewells

" A shame that frying pans are not regular weapons, isn't it ? " - he's pretending it doesn't matter at all and she laughs, because he's going to help a country they should have never formed an alliance with, because he's going to war, because if life was fair he wouldn't have to, so she laughs at his stupid joke because if she doesn't she'll cry when she has to be brave, there's no time to regret halcyon days.

33 - World

The more she discovers the forest, the tavern, the town, all those new places and people, the less she understands her mother's interdiction.

34 - Formal

Once in a while, the etiquette is fun - no one would believe he used to be a thief (or at least he tries to quit) - however they often need to take a break; fortunately her royal parents don't worry anymore when they escape with Maximus for a ride to the Snuggly Duckling.

35 - Fever

She used to have healing powers so she's a bit surprised the first time she's ill; she find the hallucinations a bit funny, actually - Eugene rolls his eyes.

36 - Laugh

He has never bought so many things a day yet he's still looking around, half-expecting a guard to recognize him, however her laugh and the sparkles in her eyes almost make him believe that's just a game.

37 - Lies

He can't remember the moment he started his lies, she didn't know the concept before he entered her life, yet she trusts him - he warns her so she won't put the blame on him later.

38 - Forever

Before meeting her, he was sure _forever_s never lasted.

39 - Overwhelmed

As much as she won't believe it and will do her best to not see him dead, something breaks in her when Gothel declares that Eugene will be hanged.

40 - Whisper

Convincing himself this stone is really comfortable, he's finally about to sleep when she starts whispering to her toad (lizard, or whatever it is) her agitation regarding what happened today and what they'll see tomorrow; even if he's smiling listening to her, they need some rest, so he coughs a little and silence comes back.

41 - Wait

" Pretending you're late because you're combing your hair isn't working, you know. "

42 - Talk

" You seem nervous ", she notices, and his laugh is weak because he's going to have The Talk with his potential father-in-law, and said man is nothing less than the king of the country, why should he be scared ?

43 - Search

" I want a castle ", he once told the Stabbington brothers, now as he watches her dance he doesn't know anymore what he is looking for.

44 - Hope

It's a little strange to think her hope to go out of here is currently snoring in her wardrobe.

45 - Eclipse

He enters the tower, eclipsing the sun coming from the window, and the way the room darkens seems a sadly fitting metaphor for what's expecting them.

46 - Gravity

One inch and she touches the grass, one second of hesitation and she decides that if Mother asks, she'll blame gravity, one move and she's free.

47 - Highway

She draws the ivy and the forest opens for her - so many possibilities are presenting themselves to her, she can't chose, but the idea itself is quite exhilarating.

48 - Unknown

"What Mother won't know won't hurt her, right ?" she says with a small voice; _why on earth is she looking at me like that ?_ he wonders, _comforting wasn't part of the deal !_

49 - Lock

The concept of lock is unfamiliar to her - she had the sky to prevent her to escape - and she can't stop finding a bit odd that people voluntary prevent themselves from going wherever they want.

50 - Breathe

He's too busy getting his breath back and wondering about her _glowing_ hair to think about what happened in that cave and its possible implications.


End file.
